Posts Tagged ‘New York Knicks’

February 17, 2015 · 11:10PM

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Representatives for Goran Dragic told the Suns on Tuesday that the veteran point guard does not plan to re-sign as an unrestricted free agent, according to a report by Sam Amick of USA Today, putting pressure on Phoenix to deal Dragic by the Thursday trade deadline or likely lose him for nothing in the summer.

The news comes with Dragic having gone from 35.1 minutes a game in 2013-14 to 33.4 this season after the Suns signed another point guard, Isaiah Thomas, as a free agent. That apparently has prompted Dragic to decide he does not want to stay, even if Phoenix were to move Thomas instead before the deadline passes.

From USA Today:

The main issue, according to one of the people [with knowledge of the situation], is that Dragic wants to run his own team with the kind of freedom and support given to someone like Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. The decrease in production this season, as he sees it, is directly tied to the decrease in time spent as the lead-guard with the host of ballhandlers that surround him. Dragic is averaging 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 33.4 minutes per game this season.

A team that acquires Dragic now would also have his Bird rights in July, a major bargaining chip in free agency. Several reports say Dragic, through his agent, have given the Suns a list of preferred destinations, but that the Rockets, one of the clubs that had been pursuing him, are not among the places Dragic would stay. That would put Houston in the difficult position of giving up assets for someone who would bolster its playoff hopes, except as a short-term rental who would leave after the season.

Dragic has given Suns a "very short list," per source, of teams that he would like to be traded to by Thursday.

February 17, 2015 · 8:15AM

NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1:Amar’e gets Maverick — Just hours after securing his release from the New York Knicks, according to multiple reports, Amar’e Stoudemire and the Dallas Mavericks have reportedly reached an agreement on a deal to bring Stoudemire to the Mavs. After writing a poem to say goodbye to Knicks fans, Stoudemire will chase a championship with the Mavericks, teaming with his former Knicks teammate Tyson Chandler to provide an interior presence for Dallas. As ESPN’s Tim McMahon writes, after considering several offers, Stoudemire ultimately decided Dallas was the best fit for his skill set…

The Mavs could only offer the prorated veteran’s minimum to Stoudemire, who was in the final season of a five-year, $99.7 million deal with the Knicks.

Dallas was attractive to Stoudemire in part because of a pick-and-roll-intensive offense that plays to his strengths. The Mavs also have a highly respected medical staff, led by Team USA athletic trainer Casey Smith, that will maximize Stoudemire’s chances of staying healthy for the stretch run and playoffs while dealing with chronic knee problems.

The Mavs envision Stoudemire as a key bench player who will back up center Tyson Chandler and also see spot duty at power forward behind Dirk Nowitzki. He will provide the Mavs with a quality replacement for Brandan Wright, the high-efficiency reserve big man the Mavs gave up in the December deal to acquire Rajon Rondo.

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No. 2:Report: Bucks, Sanders talk buyout — As recently as two seasons ago, Milwaukee’s Larry Sanders was considered one of the NBA’s most promising young big men. But since then, it’s been a slow decline. Sanders has dealt with injuries and suspensions, and hasn’t played this season since just before Christmas. Now it seems that perhaps the Bucks have had enough and are ready to move on without Sanders, writes ESPN’s Marc Stein…

Buyout discussions have begun between the Milwaukee Bucks and Larry Sanders that would make the recently suspended big man a free agent, according to league sources.

Sanders has served a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program but has not returned to the team and is not expected to play for Milwaukee again. He has been listed as out for “personal reasons” in each of the Bucks’ past three games.

The 26-year-old has been adamant that he wants to resume his NBA career despite the personal struggles that have resulted in two league suspensions in less than a year.

“Soon you all will know the truth,” Sanders tweeted last week.

When asked last week about Sanders’ status, Bucks coach Jason Kidd told local reporters: “That will be determined during the break.”

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No. 3:What’s next for Marc Gasol? — The Memphis Grizzlies may be chasing a title, but after his gig starting for the Western Conference All-Stars, it’s probably worth remembering that Grizz center Marc Gasol will be one of the most sought-after free agents this summer. USA Today‘s Sam Amick caught up with Gasol during All-Star Weekend, and Gasol says leaving Memphis would not be easy, if it comes to that…

“The city of Memphis and the franchise means a lot to me,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s not going to be easy for me to leave a place like that.”

Not only do the Grizzlies have the edge of being able to offer him a five-year deal as opposed to the four-year offers every other team is limited to, but the ‘Grit & Grind’ Grizzlies remain a close-knit group that is playing the kind of elite basketball (39-14) that certainly qualifies as championship-caliber. The Knicks, Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and others have long been expected to come after him, but he knows as well as anyone that he won’t find this mixture of relationships and ring-worthy talent anywhere else. At least not at the start.

From his close friendship with point guard Mike Conley to his connection with forward Zach Randolph (“My man,” he calls him) to Tony Allen and the rest of the lot, there are roots that run much deeper than they do in most NBA locker rooms. There’s an impressive body of work serving as the foundation, too, a winning percentage of .635 since the start of the 2010-11 season and years of playoff battles that they hope have steeled them for the coming challenge.

“Basketball is about relationships,” said Marc, who played his high school basketball in Memphis while watching Pau play for the Grizzlies, then returned (after playing professionally in his hometown of Barcelona) to begin his NBA career in 2008. “The bond that you create by playing together, going through battles together. The trust that you build goes a long way. It goes beyond the game of basketball. Those guys, you could see them 15 or 20 years from now, when everybody is older and it’s a little tougher to walk, you’ll see each other and your brain is going to immediately think back to those memories that you created.

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No. 4:A weekend with Westbrook — Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players and personalities, as furious on the floor as he can be off of it, with a diverse set of interests. In New York for All-Star Weekend, where he ended up walking away with the All-Star MVP, Westbrook maximized the time by running all over the city to make appearances, and he brought Bleacher Report along for the ride…

The following day, Friday, around 11:30 a.m., Westbrook arrives for All-Star media availability, located at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel. This marks one of the few times of the year when every kind of question you can imagine gets thrown at a player.

“Who’s the sexier Van Gundy, Stan or Jeff?” His answer: just shakes his head.

Then there’s the influx of international media—this year, a record 534 members from 52 countries—who ask for acknowledgement of their fans.

“Please give us a message to Japanese fans.” His response: “Hello, Japanese fans all over the world. Thank you for your support.”

Compared to the previous night, Westbrook, wearing all Jordan Brand gear, including the Air Jordan 1 Fragment Design sneakers, is completely different. Many times, he looks down during questions and looks away while responding. His answers are short—usually one word or one to two sentences—similar to other basketball interviews he’s done in the past. Smiles and long answers are sparse. A lot of “I don’t knows.” For some, he has the look of “Where have you been?” as he quickly shakes his head to disregard the question.

“He doesn’t like to talk about basketball,” his younger brother, Ray, 23, says. “We just talk about life, play video games.”

NEW YORK – Hosting the All-Star Game didn’t keep the New York Knicks from taking care of some other business on Sunday.

Amar’e Stoudemire’s days in New York are over but he could find a new home by the end of the week.

A league source told the Daily News that Stoudemire and the Knicks formally reached a buyout prior to Sunday’s All Star Game and that the six-time All Star, who should clear waivers by Wednesday, could be in a new uniform by the time the league resume on Thursday.

Several teams in the Western Conference are expected to pursue Stoudemire, who would be a solid addition to a playoff team as a reserve. The Dallas Mavericks have already been mentioned as a possible destination. Two others clubs in the West that could be in the running are San Antonio and Golden State.

Knicks president Phil Jackson had ideas of making the postseason this season, but it didn’t take long for him to realize that his team couldn’t defend or run the Triangle offense well enough to even compete for a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference.

In early January, Jackson traded Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith for a minimal return. Now, he’s saying goodbye to one of the only decent offensive players left on the roster. And it’s very possible that Carmelo Anthony, who’s been dealing with knee soreness all season, won’t play another game until next fall.

Stoudemire was thought of as a savior for the Knicks when he signed in 2010. But after Anthony arrived less than a year later, the two never played that well together. Stoudemire dealt with several injuries and played just a small role on the Knicks team that won 54 games in the 2012-13 season.

He’s likely to head West now. He’s a defensive liability, but can provide some scoring inside, having shot 56 percent in his limited minutes over the last three seasons.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said Thursday on ESPN Radio that it’s “very likely” he will shut it down after the All-Star Game.

Anthony maintained that he plans to play in Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden, “even if it’s just a few minutes” — but likely will be done playing after that.

“It’s very likely. It’s very likely. Now I’ve got to start thinking about the future,” Anthony told Marc Stein, Marc Kestecher and P.J. Carlesimo in an interview on ESPN Radio. “This season is this season. So I really want to just sit down with my team and sit down with the proper people to just kind of plan this thing out and see exactly what I have to do to get done and just to fix it.”

The Knicks’ leading scorer and franchise player has been dealing with soreness in his left knee for months. Anthony aggravated the injury in Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat and sat out Wednesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic.

Despite the injury, he plans to appear in Sunday’s All-Star Game to honor the fans who voted him in as an Eastern Conference starter.

“Even if I come out and just play a couple minutes and just wave,” Anthony said. “I don’t think the fans deserve [seeing me miss the game]. They voted me in for a reason, so at least I can show them that I appreciate that by just participating in the game.”

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The Knicks have been cautious with Anthony by reducing his minutes and requiring the 12-year veteran to sit out some games during loaded stretches in the schedule, such as skipping the second night of a back-to-back set of games.

But Anthony said earlier this week that playing through the knee soreness was only growing more frustrating.

“It’s little things that I’m doing out there on the court,” Anthony said. “I’m restricted, I’m not getting that power or that bounce, and then to do something like I did today, I think I’m getting closer to that point. I think due to the lack of movement, the lack of explosiveness I have right now — I’m just trying to compensate and try to figure it out as it goes along.”

George Karl has reached agreement on a four-year contract worth nearly $15 million to become coach of the Sacramento Kings, a league source told Yahoo Sports.

Sacramento plans to make a formal announcement soon.

The deal will include a $1.5 million buyout provision on the $5 million owed Karl in the final year of the contract, a source told Yahoo Sports.

Karl will earn $1.25 million for the rest of the 2014-15 season, which will begin with his Kings debut after the All-Star break on Feb. 20 against Golden State. Karl is set to earn $3.25 million in 2015-16 and $5 million per season in the final two years of the deal, a source said.

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After owner Vivek Ranadive insisted on the firing of ex-coach Michael Malone, the Kings struggled under interim coach Tyrone Corbin and turned toward Karl in the past week. Corbin plans to leave the organization and will not be a part of Karl’s staff for the rest of the season, a source said.

Karl’s directive will be to reach the immensely talented, but combustible 7-foot center DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins made the Western Conference All-Star reserves, averaging 23.8 points and 12.4 rebounds a game this season.

Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro informed Corbin on Friday that the organization planned to conduct an immediate search for a new coach.

Anthony Mason, a 13-year NBA veteran and member of the Knicks team that went to the 1994 NBA Finals, has reportedly suffered a heart attack, according to longtime NBA writer Peter Vecsey.

Mason, 350 lbs, had heart issue 4 yr. Was on 2d fl of hosp taking test when attack occurred. Surgery was on 3. Very lucky not on 1, I'm told

Mason, 48, has undergone four surgeries and is reportedly in very poor condition after suffering a massive heart attack on Wednesday.

He played 13 seasons for six different franchises, but carved out the core of his rugged reputation playing five seasons with the Knicks from 1991-96.

Mason earned a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team while a member of the Heat in 2000-01. He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Knicks during the 1994-95 season and led the league in minutes played the following season, his last with the Knicks. He made 50.9 percent of his shots in 882 career games.

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes across the globe to weigh in on the most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

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> If you had to pick which Eastern Conference team will be closer to an NBA title in three years, who would you pick: Bucks, Celtics, Sixers or Knicks?

Steve Aschburner, NBA.com: Give me Milwaukee. New York will buy stars, Boston has tradition, Philadelphia is rounding up high draft selections, but I’ve seen up close the changes in the Bucks culture with Jason Kidd and his staff on board. Kidd isn’t a great media guy but he apparently clicks with those in his locker room. The Bucks have several boxes already checked if they keep their guys (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker at forward, Brandon Knight in the backcourt), and more depth than the other three. This isn’t the old Milwaukee culture, either; new ownership has lit a fire under this franchise, with grandiose plans that center on a championship-contending team in a sparkling new arena, with retail and residential development and on and on. The Bucks are thinking of themselves as the little franchise that can.

Fran Blinebury, NBA.com: This is like asking which three-legged horse is going to win the Kentucky Derby in 2018. Of course, in thoroughbred racing so much is about bloodlines. So without counting in a lottery win by any of the teams this season, I’ll saddle up with a Sixers roster that in three years could include a healthy core of Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Dario Saric and Michael Carter-Williams and have the potential of Secretariat. With a foundation of Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the continued good work of coach Jason Kidd, the Bucks will have a California Chrome chance. In three years, Danny Ainge’s master plan for the Celtics that began with Brad Stevens as coach could have his team looking like Smarty Jones. And the Knicks, well, that’s why they have glue factories.

Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com: Bucks. I don’t know that I would have said that at the start of the season, but Milwaukee has proven that it has the best building blocks. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker showed they are real building blocks, not potential in the distant future. They are both better — based on what we saw from Parker in the court, not on his game at this very moment — than any prospect on the other teams you mention. The Knicks have Carmelo Anthony, but if the topic is three years from now, ‘Melo may be hanging on. Ask again in mid-July. If Joel Embiid looks good in summer league and the 76ers have a good draft and/or add a veteran contributor in trade or free agency, I could see Philly getting close to the front of the line.

Shaun Powell, NBA.com: The Bucks, only because I can see more evidence of them turning the corner right now than the Sixers, Celtics and Knicks. The Bucks have at least 2 players with high ceilings, Giannis and Jabari Parker (assuming he returns OK) and a few others with decent ceilings (Khris Middleton, John Henson, Knight). They also own their picks and Jason Kidd seems like he’s made for coaching. Man, if Larry Sanders starts taking his maturity pills …

John Schuhmann, NBA.com: The Bucks. They have two young stars – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker – with high ceilings, more length and athleticism beyond those guys, and a defense that already ranks in the top five. I do like the potential of all the young guys the Sixers have already acquired (with one more top-seven pick on the way), and coach Brett Brown has proven that he can coach defense, too. But there are still more questions to be answered in Philly than there are in Milwaukee.

Sekou Smith, NBA.com: There is so much that could happen between now and the next three years. Milwaukee appears to be closer than the others to the playoffs, but there is no guarantee they will be anywhere close to sniffing a NBA title. Based on history alone and Danny Ainge’s penchant for rolling the dice on smoething big on the trade and free agent front, I’m going with the Celtics. You have to take risks when you’re talking about contending, and no one is more willing to do that than Ainge.

Ian Thomsen, NBA.com: Based on what we know today? It will be the Bucks. They have a young emerging (and inexpensive) roster with at least two future stars and new owners who are promising to adorn their franchise with the best of everything. The big question is whether the owners will be wise enough to recognize what they have in GM John Hammond – or will they want to hire their “own guy?” (If it turns out to be the latter, then I’ll retroactively change my pick to the Celtics.)

Lang Whitaker, NBA.com’s All Ball blog: Milwaukee. Only because the Celtics, Sixers and Knicks are all rebuilding with no clear direction to where they are going. At least the Bucks have their core of Giannis, Brandon Knight and, when he gets healthy, Jabari Parker. They have a coach who has shown he can communicate with these players, and new ownership committed to raising everyone’s circumstances. One of these other franchises may come across a pot of gold eventually, but right now they’re still searching for the ends of their rainbows.

February 10, 2015 · 7:35AM

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NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1: Popovich rolls into the NBA history books — If you missed it last night (or this morning), the San Antonio Spurs topped the Indiana Pacers. That, in and of itself, isn’t much news. But that win gave Spurs coach Gregg Popovich his 1,000th as San Antonio’s coach and made him just the ninth coach in NBA history to reach that many career victories. Our Fran Blinebury chronicles how Popovich’s way has morphed into the “Spurs Way”, which has made San Antonio a model NBA franchise:

We all know what it’s about,” he told reporters last week, “and when it happens I’ll say something about it. Obviously, you have to be around a while to do that. It’s not going to happen if you’re not in that situation. You’ve got to have an organization that’s allowed you to be there a long time and shown a lot of patience in letting you grow, that kind of thing. Obviously you have to have players that go and win games, because I haven’t scored many points or gotten many rebounds that I remember because I wasn’t in the league.

“It’s a combination of all those things to get any kind of a goal like that realized. So it will give me some pause and make me think about it. Like, ‘What the hell am I still doing this for?’ probably.”

Perhaps because, in the process, he’s become a world-wide seeker of talent, full-on proponent of breaking down international barriers, gospel-spreader of the global game, larger-than-life character for the gruff demeanor and, oh by the way, a five-time NBA champion.

It is the how that has been most impressive since he took over as coach in December 1996 and steadily turned one of the league’s smallest markets into what is generally regarded as the model franchise.

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It is often noted that Popovich’s historic stack of wins would not be quite so tall without Duncan providing the stoic, resolute backbone for the Spurs since 1997, most often by Popovich himself.

There was, of course, that first decade of Duncan’s career when he was able to overpower and overwhelm opponents with his package of fundamentally sound skills.

But would Duncan be making preparing for his 15th NBA All-Star Game appearance and gearing up as the cornerstone of another playoff contending team as his 39th birthday nears if Popovich hadn’t so carefully managed and rationed his minutes?

From the time the Spurs won their fourth championship in 2007 until No. 5 swept in last season, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker all were showing the effects of time. Yet Popovich milked the most from their abilities by sticking to his philosophical guns, even if it meant fines from the commissioner’s office or disdain from TV executives when he sat out his stars. He set an NBA record by not having a single player average 30 minutes per game last season, in the process developing a deep, productive bench and then turned them all loose, along with the young tsunami that is Kawhi Leonard to swamp Miami’s Big Three. His way has now become a league standard.

February 6, 2015 · 7:29AM

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NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1:Cousins lays into teammates after Kings’ latest loss — It may seem hard to remember, but at the start of the season, Sacramento was the toast of the NBA after its 9-5 start. Since then, things have gone horribly awry and following last night’s home defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, the Kings have lost 10 of their last 11 games. All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins is clearly getting fed up with the team’s performance — and, in particular, his teammates — and went off after the game. The Sacramento Bee‘s Jason Jones has more:

It’s time to get beyond the Michael Malone was fired excuse.

Cousins is right. It’s not about that anymore. It’s about the Kings and how they were run out of their own building, 101-78, by a Dallas Mavericks team at Sleep Train Arena without the injured Rajon Rondo and Dirk Nowitzki, who was given the night off.

It’s about how the Kings watched as the Mavericks closed the second quarter on a 25-8 run that the Kings never showed any will to stop.

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“It’s about having self respect, some type of pride and taking your job seriously, coming in every night ready to play regardless of the circumstances,” Cousins said. “Just man up and play. Play hard. If we play hard and we get our brains beat in I’m fine with that. But to come out and just lay down like we did tonight is inexcusable.”

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“Everybody in here has played basketball for a long time,” Cousins said. “Everybody knows teams go on runs. Everybody knows just as quick as they get a run, you can too. Keep playing hard. You see a team get a run, stop the bleeding and you try to create a run of your own.”

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The bad body language has taken over too with each mistake. Cousins, who had 23 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and six turnovers said he needs to do his part to fix that.

“The only thing I can do is lead by example, that’s the only thing I can do,” Cousins said. “Keep trying to lead by example, that’s all I can do. My body language has been bad as well. I need to straighten it out myself. I need to lead by example.”

Cousins was also asked if the Kings had player-only meetings to try sort out what’s gone wrong over the last 24 games. The Kings are 6-18 over that span.

January 28, 2015 · 1:24PM

HANG TIME BIG CITY — Kevin Durant will not play in New York City this season … at least, perhaps, not until the All-Star Game. The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Wednesday that Durant will sit out tonight’s game at the New York Knicks as he recovers from a sprained left big toe.

Thunder shootaround just wrapped up. News: Kevin Durant will miss tonight's game against the Knicks.

Sitting tonight vs 8-37 Knicks gives Kevin Durant three more days off before Saturday's game in Memphis.

Durant missed the first 17 games of the season, which included the Thunder’s lone game in Brooklyn, while recovering from a broken foot. After being named the NBA’s MVP last season, Durant has played in just 21 of Oklahoma City’s 45 games. Durant is averaging 27.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. The Thunder are 23-22 and currently in tenth place in the Western Conference.